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CALLED, CHOSEN & FAITHFUL! DO 2234 6/85

       1. "AND THE LAMB SHALL OVERCOME THEM, FOR HE IS LORD OF LORDS, & KING OF KINGS: & THEY THAT ARE WITH HIM ARE CALLED & CHOSEN & FAITHFUL!" (Rev.17:14) Are you called? Why were you chosen? (Fam: Because He knew we were going to choose Him!) Exactly, Honey, you remembered that! Because He knew that we were going to choose Him! Before the foundation of the Earth, He knew who was going to choose Him & who wasn't. So that's why you were chosen!
       2. HE DOESN'T DO IT EXACTLY LIKE SOME PREDESTINARIANS SAY, like the doctrines of foreordination etc. of some extreme Calvinists who say, "Well, there's nothing you can do to get saved. Just sit & read your Bible & pray, & if God's going to save you, He will, & if He won't, He won't, & there's nothing you can do about it." What a discouraging ridiculous doctrine! That is the doctrine of extreme predestinarianism. Others call it foreordination as well because they both are linked together. You are foreordained to be predestined to be saved. If that were so, then there's no free will, there's no choice! There'd be no majesty of free will & choice which God has given us & which the whole thing is all about!--And God would be a monster!
       3. THIS WHOLE GREAT SCIENTIFIC DEMONSTRATION FROM CREATION ON TO THE END IS A DEMONSTRATION OF CHOICE! Decisions, decisions, decisions, that's what it's all about! Didn't I make that clear enough a few times before? It's a time of decision, these are hours of decision. That was the first thing that God allowed Adam & Eve to be presented with, a decision!--Right?--Choice!
       4. GOD WANTED YOU OF YOUR OWN FREE WILL TO CHOOSE TO LOVE HIM & to thank Him for all He's done in saving you & all the rest. And if there's no choice & you have no choice & God has just simply foreordained & predestined you to either be saved or not saved, or go to Hell or go to Heaven, He just picked out different people by favouritism, this is what I'd certainly call favouritism & respect of persons & He'd be a monster!
       5. THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE WHOLE GREAT EXPERIMENT, IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT THAT, OR DEMONSTRATION, IS TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO MAKE A CHOICE ON YOUR OWN, & that's what life is all about! As my Mother used to say, "Decisions, decisions, decisions!" Isn't that what plagues us all the time, Peter?--Decisions, decisions, making decisions!--Decisions about jobs, decisions about personnel, decisions about housing, decisions about projects, decisions about this, that & the other!
       6. LIFE IS ALL DECISIONS! That's why I try to encourage the little ones to make decisions at an early age. So often they'll ask me, "What should I do, Grandpa? Shall I or shall I not?" And if it's a decision that I know they can make, they know what's right, they know what's wrong, they know what's best, then I think it's good to encourage them to make the decision. "Well, what do you think you should do?" I've often told my children that. "Well, you know what the situation is, what do you think would be best?"
       7. GET THEM TO LEARN AT AN EARLY AGE HOW TO MAKE GOOD CHOICES, HOW TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION! You'll be a lot better off than just demanding, "Now you know what's right, now you do so-&-so!" That's the mistake so many parents make with teenagers. Teenagers, as Dr. Fakima used to say, are little judges! They've gotten to where they have an independent mind of their own that God gave'm that He wants them to use to make decisions! And if there are times when they think their parents are not right,they should speak up & say so, respectfully. "Well, I know you're my Grandpa, I know you're my nurse, I know you're my mother or father"--whoever it is--"but don't you think so-&-so would be better?", or "don't you think it's wrong to do so-&-so?" Of course, whatever the answer is, they should then accept it in a yielded manner, "Obeying them that have the rule over them." (Heb.13:17)
       8. THIS IS ONE THING THE "LIFE WITH GRANDPA" STORY IS DOING FOR THE PARENTS, IT'S KIND OF PUTTING THEM ON THE SPOT! The kids are reading it & knowing what's right & wrong, & they're reminding the parents to make the right decisions. A little child is leading them now, the children. After all, they ought to be an improvement on the stock! They've been born in the Family, reared in the Family, Family-trained, had the Lord all their lives & know the Word, they should be very well able to make minor decisions, even some important ones regarding them where they're at stake. Amen?
       9. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, MAKING DECISIONS! It's all a part of your training. Don't you learn best through making the decisions yourself? When you have to make a decision, then you really have to weigh all the pros & the cons & you've got to study it. Even going shopping is making decisions. During the Depression when we were poor, I wouldn't have thought of spending ten cents without shopping around at every dime store in town to find out where I'd get the best buy for ten cents! It's no joke, I did! I never bought anything unless I went to every store in town that handled that item & saw what they had for the same price, & when I finallybought the thing, I knew I had the best! A lot of times you don't know unless you shop around.
       10. YOU GUYS SPENT HALF YOUR LIVES SHOPPING AROUND ALL OVER THE WORLD TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOOD & WHERE THE ANSWER WAS, SO THAT FINALLY WHEN YOU FOUND IT YOU KNEW YOU HAD IT! Isn't that good? And aren't you glad you made the decision? Somebody didn't just force you to make it, nobody made it for you. Contrary to all this bad publicity we get, we don't force people to make decisions, we don't force them to stay here, we don't force them to believe what we believe. Every one of you is a free moral agent right now! You can get up & walk out of here & be gone forever as far as force or compulsion is concerned. We don't use any force to keep anybody here. Who's forced to stay here? Well, maybe the little children might figure they don't have much alternative because they're still children & they still need to obey their parents & caretakers who know what's best for them. They would sure be in one Hell of a mess to try to go out there by themselves in that Pit!--And I'm sure they don't want to!
       11. BUT WE DON'T FORCE PEOPLE TO THINK & BELIEVE LIKE WE DO & FORCE THEM TO STAY HERE, IT'S SO RIDICULOUS!--Just lies of the Devil, so contrary to everything we do & believe & practice! It's all voluntary. You're here by choice. You made the choice to receive the Lord because you saw He was the best, the answer to all your problems. You made your choice to join the Family. We haven't forced anybody to come to this Unit to work here, we always say, "Would you like to?"
       12. I HAVE CAUTIONED LEADERS TIME & AGAIN, "DON'T YOU EVER GIVE THEM ORDERS TO DO SO-&-SO, MAKE A CERTAIN MOVE OR DO SUCH-&-SUCH A THING!" Those of you who know me, my policy has always been, "How would you like to do so-&-so? Would you like to do so-&-so?"--To present the invitation! It's not an order but an invitation, a privilege to do this job or that job or live in this room or that room or whatever little thing it might be, or the schedule or your job or whatever. I even ask you, "What do you think is the best time for you to have Class?" I don't order the Class at a certain time. We agree together, we counsel together, we make decisions together. Decisions which affect the whole Body, the whole Home, we should get together & counsel about. You do in your own meetings. That's why I let you have your own meetings completely without our presence every week so that you can make your own decisions of the things that affect you personally & your schedule & your housing & all the rest!
       13. I LIKE YOU TO RUN YOURSELVES, SO TO SPEAK, & TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN ADMINISTRATION, take care of your own schedules & work & jobs & duties & all of this sort of thing. Because that's part of your training as leaders, to learn to make your own decisions about those matters that affect you & others. The only orders I give sometimes is when I've got orders from Headquarters & I know that's what has to be done whether people like it or not. This is an army, & in any army certain things can be decided on by general consensus, a general opinion or counselling together or a vote or whatever.
       14. BUT WHEN THE BOSS KNOWS BEST & HE CAN FORESEE THINGS THAT MAYBE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND or he can't tell you about, just like a parent, I have to say to you, "Just do it because I say so!" Sometimes you want to know why, but if we're in a hurry, we haven't got time to explain or we shouldn't explain yet because we'd be breaching security & telling you things you shouldn't know, so we just say, "Sorry, but just do it because I said so!" There are times when it comes to the point that you've just got to be ordered to do so-&-so whether you like it or not. Otherwise, we try to let you make your own choice & do what you would like to do. We like you to choose to do things out of your own free will, to want to do that job, to want to live here, to even choose.
       15. WE'RE NOT FORCING ANYBODY TO SLEEP WITH ANYBODY ELSE! We're not making anybody mate with anybody else. If you don't like'm, you don't have to sleep with'm. Nobody's making you sleep with anybody here, right? There's oodles of room around here, if you don't like'm, go to that extra little room we have! There are two beds there & you can have them all to yourself in privacy!--If that's what you want. Nobody's making you sleep with anybody here. And look at this nice big couch here & another nice big couch here. I'm not forcing you to sleep anywhere with anybody! You can sleep anywhere you want to as far as I'm concerned, that's up to you. We may suggest something & say, "Would you like to & are you willing to, it would be nice if you would." But who has ever given you orders, "You've gotta sleep with somebody, you've gotta fuck him, you've gotta make love to her!" Isn't that ridiculous?
       16. THIS WHOLE SOCIETY IS BUILT ON FREE WILL & CHOICE & DOING THINGS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO & you love to & you love people & you want to serve the Lord & you want to be pleasing to Him & to others & to get along with people. Well, I don't know how I got onto that, but I guess it was important! (Fam: "Called & chosen & faithful.") Thank you! Our dear secretary here is keeping track of my sermons! When I depart from the main track she must jot that down real quick so she'll remember!

       CALVINISM!
       17. CALLED--MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN! Isn't it sad, the predestinarians interpret that to mean that everybody's called, but even when they come in answer to the call as volunteers, God, like a military officer, just picks out this one, that one & that one. Even if they answer the call, He just picks out certain ones that are worthy to be saved. What a horrible doctrine!
       18. THAT'S THE ULTIMATE OF WHAT THEY CALL CALVINISM, because John Calvin was one of the ones that promoted it. He was a great reformer, great theologian, great preacher & he was one of the first, besides Martin Luther, who really preached real genuine Eternal Salvation. But his kind of Eternal Salvation was just bestowed on certain people by God just picking out special preferences to be saved.
       19. TO SHOW YOU WHAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE THAT CAN GET TO BE LIKE, HE WAS A REFORMER & A FUGITIVE & A REFUGEE, fled from the persecution of the Catholics to Switzerland where he continued to promote Protestantism etc. But then when some guys began to disagree with him & his church & his beliefs & his new orthodoxy, his new system, he stood by while his friends burned these guys at the stake! They were doing the same things to people who dissented with them, that he was complaining about the Catholics doing to the Protestants.--Sad, huh?
       20. WELL, IN SPITE OF SUCH HORRIBLE MISTAKES, I REALLY EXPECT TO SEE CALVIN IN HEAVEN! Well, he didn't do it, but he didn't do anything about it, he didn't stop'm! When they insisted on doing it to some of the new heretics, who were heretics from the new Protestantism, he stood by & let it happen.--So they say, I wasn't there. Maybe we'll find out the true story when we get to Heaven! Maybe that's a Catholic tale, I don't know, probably a Jewish tale. Because he was a great preacher & really did preach the Gospel & was a great sacrificial suffering reformer who suffered a great deal of persecution himself back in the days of the Reformation.

       "...AND FAITHFUL!"
       21. "AND FAITHFUL!"--Are you faithful? I know you are because you wouldn't be sitting here if you weren't! PTL! TYL! There are some who were here once upon a time, were in our inner circles, were with us, but they were not of us. They were not one of us. They merely were with us, because then they went back. Some have become our bitterest enemies, isn't that sad?--Because they just couldn't pay the price. They wanted their own way instead of God's Will & God's way. They rejected the Message, they rejected the new wine, they rejected new doctrines, they rejected new practices that went against their grain & against their personal preferences & against their ideas of holiness etc. So they went back & turned against us & now are fighting against us, sad to say.
       22. THAT'S WHY THE LORD ESPECIALLY LOVES YOU, because in spite of all those things, in spite of doubts & fears & wonders & lies the Devil sometimes tries to tell you etc., you have stuck it out & you have been faithful! In spite of all my mistakes & in spite of all your mistakes & our mistakes & whatnot that the Lord has tested you with to see if no matter what you'll still be faithful, you're still here! You may still not even agree on every little point & every little shibboleth of doctrine, you still may not agree with all my little interpretations & personal opinions about some of this.--You don't have to!--As long as you love Jesus & love souls & still love me!
       23. I GUESS YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LOVE ME! As long as you love the Lord & love each other & are willing to work for Jesus & you're doing the job, that's all the Lord requires. We are supposed to love each other, but sometimes I'm a hard man to love for some people. So you don't really even have to love me. Well, to work with me, of course, it's quite an advantage to be able to love me. It makes it a lot easier on you & me both. I think it's easier to love one another if you're going to work together, right?
       24. OF COURSE, IF YOU DON'T LIKE ME OR LOVE ME OR LIKE THE WAY I DO THINGS, YOU'D PROBABLY BE HAPPIER SOMEWHERE ELSE!--And nobody's stopping you, I'm not stopping you! If you'd rather go someplace else, you're welcome! Just tell us! Let us know. "I'm sorry, Mom, but I'm tired of working here under Dad & you & Peter & I don't like this situation, I don't like this guy I have to sleep with or this gal, & I'd just as soon go to one of these other places you're talking about & work with them instead." Nobody's going to stop you, nobody's going to even be offended if that's your preference & you'd prefer that. I'm not the easiest guy in the World to get along with.
       25. IT'S A MIRACLE TO ME THAT MARIA HAS STOOD ME ALL THESE YEARS! (Maria: I don't see how you put up with me!) Oh, she's the easiest woman in the World to put up with, because she puts up with me! When we disagree on anything, I go my way & she goes my way! It's a democracy here, an absolute dictatorial democracy!--Ha!
       26. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH ME, BUT IF YOU DON'T, YOU MAY PREFER TO WORK SOMEPLACE ELSE! Because blessed are they, the brethren who dwell together in harmony & peace & agree together. It's a lot easier to work together when you agree, right? So if you don't agree with me, there are lots of other places you can work for the Lord. As long as you agree with the Lord, that's all that really counts! I don't think anybody's being made to agree with me. I've got a lot of strange peculiar weird ideas & interpretations & doctrines that a lot of people think are really screwy! But here you are! You still may not believe'm, I don't know, but nevertheless, at least you're still being faithful & still working & doing the big job that has to be done regardless.
       27. I THINK WE ALL AGREE HEARTILY ON ALL THE FUNDAMENTALS & ALL THE MAJOR DOCTRINES & THE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY ESSENTIAL. So we don't need to split theological hairs over some of these little things that I say, "Well, it may be, it may not be, I can't prove it, it's my opinion, my private interpretation, you don't have to believe it!" But what the Scripture says, that's it! You'd better agree with this! Some people say we don't preach the Bible, isn't that ridiculous?--And that we don't preach Jesus. Isn't that a lie of the Devil? That's all we do is preach Bible & Jesus! PTL! TYL! So you're called & chosen & faithful!
       --Are you obeying your call?--You have chosen, but are you faithful?--GHU to be!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family